trees all over the bay area. in this case a tree fell on a police car, briefly trapping the police officer inside. i'm dan ashley. carolyn has the night off. we need this break from the rain as a chance to dry out, but the storms have certainly left a mark. we have live storm team coverage with meteorologist sandhya patel in a moment. first to abc7 news reporter leslie brinkley who has more on downed trees that have become a bad problem. >> it is a bad year for falling trees. the saturated soil and the lean lead to this one falling over. >> this arborist says the ground is super saturated, but what is toppling many of these

trees is the wind. >> especially swirling winds that aren't coming from the standard direction can really cause a lot of damage. >> a huge tree came crashing down along dwight way and fell on to a passing berkeley police car driven by this officer. >> i heard a couple of loud cracking sounds and saw a couple of pedestrians pointing upward. a couple small branches fell and hit my view and hit the brakes. the abs activated and then a tree fell on top of the car. >> the officer walked away uninjured. the damaged car was towed. it was a similar scene across marin county with a 50-foot tall acacia tree in tiburon and another in larkspur. in east palo alto, a giant oak hit the dirt along this creek and missed some nearby homes. arborists say they worked 12 hours on christmas day in response to all of the calls for downed trees. >> we are working long hours

into the night just trying to keep you up. >> leslie brinkley reporting. three homes on allbrook drive have been evacuated due to a natural gas leak. pg&e tells us a resident called in to report the overwhelming and over powering smell of gas. the strong reading of gas was later picked up from an underground facility near a transformer box. utility crews looked at what may have been a leak from underground that spilled on to the sidewalk. a shelter in place has been ordered, and they are still on the scene right now. we are heading into a cold december night. it was dry, but more rain is coming. sandhya patel is live with live doppler 7hd. you will see a few leftover clouds, but we are going into a cold night. check out our temperatures. we are down to 37 in fairfield and 39 in napa. most other areas in the 40s,

but make sure you bundle up as you head out the door. you are going to feel the chill in the morning. here are the rainfall totals. it is more than an inch in san francisco. 1.17 in san rafael. .91 of an inch. .47 in concord and look down south in san jose. .61 and ben loman picking up an inch and a half of rain. i just updated the computer models and i want to show you when the timing of the next storm is and when we are expecting. the storm is different from what i showed you. dan, i will be back with the details. >> i will see you shortly. lots of snow for skiers. avalanche danger is considerable for the sierra. two skiers died in two days at donner ski ranch as the result of avalanches. an expert lists the way you can tell that an avalanche is likely. >> we feel the snowpack collapsing underneath us. if we see the shooking cracks

opening up across the surface and nonconsequential terrain. we had a lot of rapid warming and rain on snow. those are all easy things to understand that nature is telling you the snowpack is unstable. >> you really have to pay attention to the surroundings. the snowpack is unstable, but there is a lot of it. a water content is 146% above normal. that is encouraging. cal trans is allowing control traffic through the rock slide area south of big sure -- big sur at specific times. boulders and road damage has closed a stretch of highway 1 from the big sur in since sunday. because the shrewd area is still active, cal trans will strictly control one lane for use at 8:00 a.m., noon and 4:00 p.m. tomorrow to allow bicycles and cars to pass. a bay area postal worker is uh us coulded of breaking the unspoken trust you place

in him. he stole 3,000 pieces of mail, most stolen along the peninsula along san carlos. ama dates is there live with the story. ama, incredible what police say he did. >> it is, dan. in fact, stealing mail is a federal offense. but the feds don't take the case. it will be left to the san mateo county district attorney and his office to prosecute this. the mail carrier is from san bruno and tonight is behind bars facing several charges including credit card forgery, identity theft and possession of stolen goods as well as commercial burglary. 38-year-old postal worker romeo won't be handling mail anytime soon. >> he will spend the holidays in the county jail. >> that's because the mail man is accused of stealing mail from residents along his route, primarily in this san carlos neighborhood. district attorney steven wags wagstaff said he applied for credit cards in those names

and went shopping. >> you and i as victims may not even know that, oh, there was a credit card envelope taken out of my mail and somebody filled it out and put my name on it and got a credit card. >> natan gave stolen credit cards to the friends arrested first. police got him later when he was caught on surveillance video trying to use stolen cards at a target store. >> hopefully it is an isolated incident and it is not throughout the postal service. >> residents who live near the postal route were disappointed to find police found more than 3,000 pieces of undelivered mail in his home and car. >> nough people are stealing packages off other people's porches, now you have to worry about the postal service themselves. it is disheartening. >> that's a terrible thing to happen especially during the season of giving. >> the credit card solicitation she receives sometimes go straight in the trash. but she does keep a close eye on her mail. >> my mail is under lock and key. but i think everyone should do that. it is too easy to steel mail on that end.

>> and the district attorney says in this case there wasn't a whole lot that residents could do or know about what was happening. he says if you receive a letter from a friend or christmas card and it doesn't come, always call the postal service. they are good at tracking those things down and find out what is really going on. ama dates, abc7 news. >> thank you. new at 11:00, sacramento police say some teenagers are responsible for creating panic at a shopping mall. a tv news crew was at the arden fair mall when this happened. people were running for safety. the teens started fighting in the food court and then ran through the mall knocking over signs and knocking over shoppers. in the confusion some people thought a gunman was firing shots. that was not the case. no gunman and no significant injuries. a boy from daily city is dead from a grizzly traffic accident that took the life of a woman from glendale. the two died last night in pasadena after an suv running from police blew through a red

light and smashed into the mini-van they were riding in. two adults and a teenager from daily city in the -- daly mini-van were injured. all of those in the suv were arrested and being charged with murder. well, while you are out taking advantage of holiday sales, thieves are hitting the malls in large numbers too. they take full advantage of crowded stories during the holiday season, but three days before christmas police nabbed a group of shoplifters caught on video. you talk about outrageous, watch this. it is from alan wang. >> police say if you look closely the a these women, their bags were completely empty when they entered the gymboree store in laurel heights. >> and then they fill it up in the store and then they run outside the store and make away with the merchandise. >> they were arrested after police say they stole from the gymboree and then walked a few

doors down and tried to steel from the gap. one had mace in their gap. >> if they are stopped by loss prevention or an officer or sales associate, they will then turn around and spray them in the face to distract them and buy them more time. >> these women were no strangers to this store. in fact, the clerk immediately recognized them from past shoplifting incidents, and one had a stay away order for this particular store. they reportedly have stolen from the gymboree10 times since the last holiday season, and they have done it in front of the store employees. they reportedly threatened employees at the gymboree and the gap with merchandise. because it is ament many shoplifters believe the payoff outweighs the risk of being arrested and released. >> we believe they may be linked to other thefts that occurred throughout the bay area at retail stores. >> police say they return the stolen goods for cash at affiliated stores. the hope is that other

retailers have captured these women on surveillance cameras and can help convict them for what is believed to be a string of brazen crimes. in san francisco, alan wang, abr7 news. abc7 news. >> a powerful storm that pounded the middle part of the country is now lashing the northeast. a look at the impact of travel on the ground and in the air. and lost wedding ring. the man who found it buried in the sierra snow is hoping you will know who it belongs to. that story. and a girl and her puppy are reunited on christmas no less while a dog thief, grinch, gets street justice in new york city. all of that is coming up and then later on "nightline." >> coming up on a special edition of "nightline" a white house christmas. president barack obama and first lady michelle obama sit down with our own barbara walters

[ singing christmas carols in background ] aunt sally's singing again. it's a tradition, honey.

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george hw bush was in a

hospital in intensive care. he is fighting in an elevated fever. he was in hospital with complications from a bout of bronchitis. doctors said they expected the former president would only spend a few days in the hospital and be home for christmas, but his condition worsened with a spike in his fever and he is now in guarded condition in the intensive care unit. a powerful winter storm that lashed the midwest and south is moving to the northeast. in boston the high winds are actually blowing the snow sideways forecasters, however, say the snow will be gone tomorrow. across the midwest, blizzard warnings are in affect for eight states. the snow, sleet and the rain across the highways have contributed to six deaths. and just driving itself is a real hassle. >> we were trying to get out. >> yes, we were trying to get out of the parking spot and we were spinning in circles. >> the storms are also causing havac for airline travelers. the snow is forcing delays everywhere.

100 flights nationwide have been canceled. that number is expected to grow. a happy ending to a christmas eve dog napping in new york city. a seven-year-old girl was reunited with her spaniel named marley after a good samaritan located the sewners through a microchip. the thief was caught stealing the dog. there he is taking this little dog. the woman was able to lead police to the crook, and he was arrested and charminged with grand larceny. and charged with grand larceny. here is a christmas story waiting for a happy ending, and maybe you can help. he was working on interstate 80 near king veil when he saw a man jogging up and down the shoulder. in a panic he said he lost his wedding ring while putting chains on the car without gloves. after the man drove off, he decided to look for it and guess what, found it slightly submerged in the snow. the only problem, he does president know the man's name. -- he doesn't know the man's

name. the ring is platinum with the inscription "lisa 5th june, 2010". if you foe anyone that might own that ring, please get in touch. go to abc7news.com too. we are getting a much needed break in the rain, and sandhya patel is here with the latest accu-weather forecast and live doppler 7hd. >> dan, as we are winding down 2012, it is heading into wet territory. i will show you why in a moment. how will we ring in the new year? i will show you that as well. live doppler 7hd is showing a few high clouds moving in overhead right now. the rain is gone, but look at what we have received season to date with all of the recent storms. san francisco un154 and oakland at 156 percent of average. santa rosa 174% of where you should be. san jose 1 feef 2. ukiah and sacramento running well above normal for this time of year. obviously we welcome the rain,

but it will benice to see a break tomorrow. here are the highlights, cold inland and patchy morning fog of the expecting mostly sunny skies for your thursday. rain returns late friday evening. here is a look at the morning temperatures. it is going to get cold. the only thing holding up temperatures is the fact we have a few high clouds and there is a little moisture in the atmosphere. 34 by the morning and 36 in livermore and 39 antioch. concord, 36 degrees. when you wake up in the morning mid30s napa, santa rosa. 41 in oakland. san mateo and san jose, just make sure you bundle up when you head out the door. it will be a cold start especially in the valleys. here is the storm that brought up to 2 to almost 3 feet of snow in the sierra nevada. it brought us our rain. it is long gone, and the high pressure takes control of our weather as we head into your thursday. a break is coming tomorrow. enjoy the sunshine. take advantage of it. things will be changing again as we head into friday evening. here is the computer animation. 5:00 p.m. friday rain in the north bay.

it is already getting wet. by 9:00 most of the bay area will be seeing rainfall light to moderate in intensity. look what happens in the wee hours of the morning. saturday we will get heavy rainfall coming through. the system looking like it has a little more punch than it did earlier. the snow showing up around mount saint helena. the mountains are covering the region. snow levels are dropping down to 4,000 feet of 5:00 a.m. still some rainfall and especially in the east bay, the south bay and as we head into the afternoon, scattered showers and snow coming down. it is just north of napa and they could see some snow. east of san jose and mount hamilton could see rain and snow heading into your saturday. scattered showers will continue into saturday afternoon. when all is said and done, here are your rainfall totals. quarter to inch and a half through saturday afternoon 3:00 p.m. quarter of an inch to three quarters in the east bay. three-quarters to a quarter in the peninsula.

this isn't really following what we normally see which is the heaviest rain in the north bay. we will see the possibility of snow heading into saturday. high temperatures for your thursday, low to mid50s and mostly sunny skies and around the monterey bay, the temperatures in the mid50s. enjoy the sun as i mentioned. it will all change again. by friday the rain arrives in the evening. rain switching to showers on saturday afternoon. it is a mostly sunny and dry sunday. if you have holiday plans, i am glad to say that new year's eve is looking dry and mild. at least for the afternoon. tuesday dry for the start of 2013. temperatures in the mid50s. once again don't get used to it. i know dan wants to get out his skateboard and get out of the rain. >> and my roller skates. >> i forgot about that. >> it was a big day yesterday. sports director larry beil is off and rick quan is here with sports. >> some rec cog initials for some local players -- and some

recognition for some local players. we'll let you know who made it. after the heartbreaking loss

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played they blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead to the lakers and lost in over time. tonight in utah they would finish the job. salt lake city looking all festive and bright for the holidays. the warriors looking pretty good as well. curry picks up the loose ball and drives for two of his game high 23 points. mr. consistent david lee had another strong game. the fake and nothing but net. he had 18 points and nine rebounds. the holiday spirit was lost in the second quarter. they had words and a lot of pushing, but nobody was ejected. golden state started to pull

away, the hoop and the foul and the free throw ups it to 13. now check out this pretty play by curry. he goes behind the back and drops it in off the glass. he also had eight boards and seven assists. the warriors improve to 19-10. with mario out with a knee injury, it appears they will activate a wide receiver from the pctice squad. they both did see playing time last year in the nfl. the 49ers tied a franchise record by having nine players selected for the pro bowl. they are bowman and running back frank gore and dupatti and smith. also picked, the defensive tackle smith, offensive tackle staley, strong safety and line backer patrick willis. for the first time since 2003, the raiders did not have a player named to the pro bowl. tomorrow in the nation's capital san jose state takes on bowling green in the

military bowl. kickoff is noon pacific time. the 24th ranked spartans come in riding a 6-game win streak. he has been sensational for much of the season. he lead the nation in passing accuracy. san jose can move the ball on the ground. he rushed for 992 yards and 10 touchdowns. what can the spartans expect from bowling green? >> really good defensive football team. they are in the top 10 or top 15 in the country. the player of the year in the conference and offensively they are really efficient. they have a third-year quarterback. a quick passing game. they give you a lot of formations. >> should be a good game. san jose state is a 7.5 favorite. it was brought to you by river rock casino. >> i like the spread in that. >> go make a bet. >> thanks. well, coming up next, how

one of the stars of "gray's uh gnat mooy," mcdreamy no less, is trying to save a coffee chain and jobs in the bay area. 245 story as we continue. ♪ ♪ if loving you is wrong, i don't wanna be right ♪ [ abrupt record scratch, music stops ] what!? it's not bad for you. it just tastes that way. [ female announcer ] honey nut cheerios cereal -- heart-healthy, 100% whole grain oats...

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